

rm                           Command                           rm




Remove files

rrmm [ -ffiirrttvv ] _f_i_l_e ...

rm removes each file.  If no other links exist, rm frees the data
blocks associated with the file.

To remove  a file, a user must have  write and execute permission
on the  directory in which  the file resides, and  must also have
write permission on the  file itself.  The force option -f forces
the file to be removed if the user does not have write permission
on  the  file  itself.   It  suppresses  all error  messages  and
prompts.

The interactive  option -i tells  rm to prompt  for permission to
delete each file.

The recursive  removal option -r causes rm  to descend into every
directory, search for  and delete files, and descend further into
subdirectories.   Directories  are removed  if  the directory  is
empty, is  not the current directory, and is  not the root direc-
tory.

The test  option -t  performs all  access testing but  removes no
files.

The verbose  option -v  tells rm  to print each  file rm  and the
action taken.  In conjunction with the -t option, this allows the
extent of possible damage to be previewed.

***** See Also *****

commands, ln, rmdir

***** Notes *****

Absence of  delete permission  in parent directories  is reported
with the  message ``_f_i_l_e: permission  denied''.  Write protection
is not  inherited by subdirectories;  they must be  protected in-
dividually.

Note  that  unlike  the  similarly  named command  under  MS-DOS,
COHERENT's version  of rm  will not prompt  you if you  request a
mass deletion.  Thus, the command


        rm *


will  silently and  immediately delete all  files in  the current
directory.  Caveat utilitor!





COHERENT Lexicon                                           Page 1


